This invention generally relates to containers for the temporary storage and serving of food products, and is specifically concerned with a serving container for maintaining a food product either above or below the ambient temperature which has a drain assembly.
Containers for both temporarily storing food products and for maintaining such products at a desired temperature are well known in the prior art. In some of these containers, the side and bottom walls are insulated in order to retard the transfer of heat between the food product and the ambient air, thereby helping to maintain the food product at the desired serving temperature. In other such containers, an active temperature-modifying medium (such as ice or hot water)is provided around the walls of the receptacle that contains the food product in order to continuously cool or heat it. While such prior art serving containers are generally capable of performing their intended function, the applicant has noted that only a relatively few of such containers have any provisions for draining excess or unwanted liquids out of the food receptacle during the temporary storage period. The general lack of any drainage mechanism is particularly disadvantageous in instances where the container is used to temporarily store foods which are best served at cooler-than-ambient temperatures, such as leafy salads. In the case of such salads, an excess collection of liquids can occur at the bottom of the receptacle from two sources. First, where an active cooling medium such as ice is used to cool the walls of the salad-holding receptacle in the container, water from the ambient humidity can condense on the walls of the receptacle and drain down to its bottom. Secondly, where salad dressings are applied to the leafy materials, excess salad dressing can run down to the bottom of the receptacle and mix with the condensed water, thereby creating an undesirable mixture of salad dressing and water that can only detract from the quality and flavor of the salad. Hot dishes, such as pastas, can also result in the collection of excess water or other liquids at the bottom of the receptacle of such containers. While it might be possible to provide a drainage mechanism at the bottom of the inner receptacle to drain out such undesirable liquids, the applicant has further noted that most conventional drain mechanisms would ultimately become clogged and inoperative due to the lodgement of vegetable matter, pasta, or other food particles in the drain holes.
Clearly, what is needed is a container for the storage and serving of food products which is capable of maintaining a food product at a desired heated or cooled state while at the same time affording drainage of excess water or other liquids by means of a drainage mechanism which does not become clogged during the use of the container. Ideally, such a container should also be simple in construction and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. Such a container should further have a structure which facilitates the installation and removal of a heating or cooling medium, and should also be light-weight and readily portable.